Hunting equipment

ABSTRACT

A tree stand including a ladder having a first end and a second end is provided. The ladder includes a first side, a second side and a plurality of rungs extending between the first side and the second side, a platform extending outwardly from the first end of the ladder, a stabilizer arm connected to and extending from each side of the ladder, each stabilizer arm having a first end attached to a point between the top end and the bottom end of the ladder and a second end.

This application is a Divisional Application of co-pending U.S.application Ser. No. 14/147,335 filed on Jan. 3, 2014, which claims thebenefit of provisional application 61/748,688, filed on Jan. 3, 2013,the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hunting requires carrying equipment deep into the woods to a huntingspot. The trip to the hunting spot may be long and inaccessible bymotorized vehicle, requiring hunters to carry all necessary equipment.For that reason, the equipment must be light, compact and easy to carry.Typical equipment includes a tree ladder and climbing stick. Thesedevices enable a hunter to climb a tree. The higher elevation of a treeprovides a better vantage point for hunters to survey the surroundings.Also, it is safer for hunters to be in an elevated position, as errantarrows quickly hit the ground.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tree stand with attachedladder that's securely attaches to a tree.

It is an object invention to provide a tree stand with attached ladderthat is lightweight and compact.

It is yet another object invention to provide a tree stand with ladderthat quickly and easily attaches to a tree.

It is yet another object invention to provide a climbing stick which islightweight and easy to manufacture.

It is still another object invention to provide a climbing stick havingsteps, each having a central opening to prevent clogging with mud orcollecting water.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The equipment for climbing a tree must be easy to carry, stable whenattached to a tree, and if providing a platform for standing or sitting,must be comfortable for long periods of time. A platform is providedwith a ladder to allow the user to easily ascend to the platform. A seatallows for the user to spend long periods of time on the platform. Apair of stabilizing arms extending from the sides of the ladder provideslateral stability to the ladder. In addition, a pair of jaws extendsfrom the platform to grip the tree and provide lateral stability.

A climbing stick has a pair of vertical posts attached between the frontand rear walls of steps to provide a secure connection. The upper andlower ends extend inwardly and away from each other to provide agripping surface when the climbing stick is secured to a tree by straps.

A tree stand has a male adapter with a bracket for securing a strap. Thestrap is used to secure the male adapter in place. Once secured to thetree, the platform area can be attached to the male adapter using afemale adapter. The ability to first secure the smaller, lighter bracketand male adapter to a tree before attaching the platform using a femaleadapter increases the ease in securing the tree stand to a tree.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the tree stand and a ladderattached to a tree;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the stabilizer arms;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the stand;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the J-shaped jaws;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of a climbing stick;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the climbing stick;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the climbing stick;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the climbing stick;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a tree stand;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the tree stand;

FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of the tree stand; and

FIG. 12 is a top view of the platform having straps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a tree stand and ladder 10 attachedto a tree. The ladder 12 extends from the ground to a platform 18. Theladder 12 is formed in sections that connect to one another by an end ofone section telescopingly fitting into an end of the next section. Whilesections may be any length, a length of four feet allows four sectionsof ladder to reach a height of sixteen feet. A protrusion from one ofthe lower rungs of the ladder secures a tensioner, such as a turn buckle14, as will be described later. A pair of stabilizer arms 16 extendsfrom either side of the ladder and engages the side of the tree. Thestabilizer arms 16 are secured to tree as will also be described later.

The platform 18 is a rectangular grid allowing water to pass through theplatform but still providing a secure, stable surface for a person tostand. A handrail 20 extends from each front corner and extends towardsthe rear of the platform to increase safety. A rear bar extends betweenthe rear ends of the handrails to provide rigidity to the handrails andalso provide a surface for bearing against a tree. A crossmember 22extends between the handrails 20 to provide extra stability to thehandrails. A seat 24 is formed between the handrails 20 and provides theuser a place to sit for extended periods of time.

A trapezoidal frame extends from the rear edge of the platform 18. Theend of the trapezoidal frame engages a tree. The engagement end may beprovided with a serrated surface to increase the grip of the trapezoidalframe to the tree. The frame secures the platform and ladder in spacedrelation from the tree and prevents movement toward the tree. Pivotallyattached to each side of the trapezoidal frame is a curved jaw 28 thatengages the side of the tray. Preferably, the jaw is J-shaped. The innersurface of each jaw is also provided with serrations to increase thegrip of the jaw to a tree.

A pair of cables 30 secures the jaws and stabilizer arms 16 to the treeto increase lateral stability of the tree stand and ladder. A cable 30attaches to each jaw and pivots the jaw when the cables moved, such asunder tension applied by the turnbuckle. Preferably, the cables crosseach other at a rear of the tree as seen in FIG. 1 and extend to theturnbuckle 14 by passing through cable guides, such as eyelets, on theoutside surface of the stabilizer arms 16, as seen in FIG. 2. Theturnbuckle allows the cables to be drawn in, effectively shortening thelength of the cables and drawing the cables closer together. In doingso, the cables urge the jaws 28 together and, in a similar manner, urgethe stabilizer arms 16 together. The effect of the cables applying forceto the jaws 28 and stabilizer arms 16 increases the force applied bythese elements to the tree. The jaws and stabilizer arms prevent lateralmovement of the stand which is of particular importance when the user isascending or descending the stand by using the ladder.

FIG. 2 shows the details of stabilizer arms 16. The stabilizer arms canbe provided with a gripping surface having serrations to better grip thetree. The gripping surface is adjustably attached to the stabilizerarms. As shown, both the stabilizer arms and gripper surface areprovided with apertures, and the gripping surface fits over thestabilizer arms in a telescoping manner. When the apertures of thegripping surface and stabilizer arms are aligned, a fastener can securethe two elements together. The ability to secure the gripping surface atdifferent points along the stabilizer arms increases the ease inconnecting the ladder to a tree. The gripping surfaces are curved toincrease the contact area with a tree.

The arms are pivotally and removably joined to the ladder by anysuitable means, such as a threaded fastener. The distance between thearms is adjustable to account for different diameter trees. Preferably,the arms are located near the midpoint of the ladder to increase theireffectiveness in providing lateral stability to the ladder. The bottomend of the ladder grips the ground. The stabilizer arms provide lateralstability to the middle of the ladder and the jaws provide lateralstability to the platform.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the stand, clearly showing the platform 18 withthe handrails 20, crossmember 22 and seat 24. Also seen is a portion ofthe trapezoidal frame, which will be discussed latter. The rear barextending between the handrails and end of the trapezoidal frame 26 arein the same vertical plane to provide surfaces for bearing against thetree. FIG. 4 shows the trapezoidal frame 26 and jaws 28 which arepivotally connected to the trapezoidal frame. The end of the trapezoidalframe has a V-shape having serrations to increase the contact areabetween the frame and tree. The cables are connected to an end of thejaws distal to the tree so that pulling on the cables causes pivotingmotion of the jaws. The cables pass through cable guides, such aseyelets, on the frame to provide a guide and increase the ease inoperating the jaws through the cables.

A climbing stick is seen in FIG. 5. The climbing stick has a pair ofvertical posts 32, 34 and a plurality of steps 36 connected to thevertical posts. The vertical posts 32, 34 are preferably formed fromsteel or aluminum square tubing, and each has an inwardly extendingupper end 44 and inwardly extending lower end 44. The ladder may also beformed of U-shaped channels to prevent water from collecting in theladder, increasing the weight and causing damage upon freezing. If madefrom U-shaped channel, a square piece of tubing is attached to one endof the section to receive an end of the next section, the square pieceof tubing having inner dimensions to securely retain the U-shapedchannel. A separate connecting member 46 is a plate that can be weldedto both vertical posts or secured with a threaded fastener. Theconnecting member also provides an attachment point for straps to securethe climbing stick to a tree.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the climbing stick showing three steps 36. Thesteps are equally spaced one another, with the lowermost step formednear the bottom of the posts 32, 34. The climbing stick is attached tothe tree at a height to position the lowest step at a convenient heightfor the user to be the lowermost rung. While the climbing stick shows 3steps, any number of steps can be attached to the vertical posts. FIG. 7is a side view of the climbing stick and the attachment point on theconnecting member for the straps can be seen. The attachment point isshown as secured to the post with a threaded shaft extending between thepost and secured with a threaded nut but, as mentioned above can besecured in other manners, such as welding.

As best seen in FIG. 8, the steps have a wedge shape so that the stepsextend outwardly from the posts, providing easier access by the user'sfoot. The wedge shape allows the steps to extend away from the tree. Thesteps are formed from a strip of metal to have an inner wall and outerwall forming a hollow interior. The top edge of each step is serrated toincrease grip. The serrations and hollow interior prevent mud, water anddebris build up on the steps and increase safety. The distance betweenthe inner and outer walls is equal to the size of the square tubing usedto form the vertical posts 32, 34. The posts then fit within the hollowinterior between the inner and outer walls of the steps. The front andrear sides are attached to the inner and outer walls by any suitablemeans, such as welding. This provides a secure connection between thesteps 36 and vertical posts. A slight V-shaped between the upper ends 42and lower ends 44 of the vertical posts results from the connection ofthe vertical posts to different sides of the steps, as best seen in FIG.8. The angle formed between the upper ends and lower ends of the postsis preferably about 40-45 degrees and increases the contact area betweenthe upper ends 42 and lower ends 44 of the vertical posts and the tree.

FIG. 9 depicts a treestand having a standing platform 50 with a verticalseat post 52 extending upwardly from the platform area 50. The verticalseat post 52 is pivotally connected to the platform area, allowing theseat post to be folded flat against the platform area fortransportation. Once folded, a climbing stick, such as depicted in FIG.5, can be attached to the platform by any suitable means, such as bungeecords. A male/female adapter is connected to the top of the seat post52. The female adapter 54 receives the male adapter 56. Each of the maleand female adapters has a series of holes. The relative position of themale adapter within the female adapter can be set by extending a hingepin 58 through aligned holes of the male and female adapters. Theadjustment of the male adapter within the female adapter sets thedistance between the tree and seat post 52. The male adapter 56 has atree attachment bracket 60. The tree attachment bracket is like a“Reese” style hitch.

The tree stand is not a “self climbing” treestand. In order to securethe tree stand to a tree, a user can attach the male adapter 56 to atree using a strap extending through the bracket 60. The strap may beany suitable type, such as a ratcheting strap. Attaching only the maleadapter is much less cumbersome than trying to attach the entiretreestand. Once the male adapter has been strapped to a tree, the standis lifted into place and the female adapter attached to the male adapterand the two adapters are secured to one another with a hinge pin 58. Theseat 62 extends from the top of the seat post 52.

The various parts are also clearly seen in FIG. 11 where the seat 62 isbetter seen. In addition, FIG. 11 more clearly depicts the attachmentbracket 60. As noted earlier, it is necessary for the hunter to climbthe tree to attach the male adapter securely to tree before attachingthe tree stand to the male adapter by having the male adapter receivedwithin the female adapters. The strap is used to secure the male adapterin place. Once secured to the tree, the platform area can be attached tothe male adapter using a female adapter. The ability to first secure thesmaller, lighter bracket and male adapter to a tree before attaching theplatform using a female adapter increases the ease in securing the treestand to a tree.

FIG. 12 shows the platform having straps connected to the rear of theframe. A pair of straps 64 is attached to a rear portion of theplatform. The ends of the straps are provided with one half on a matingconnector, such as a female connector. One or both straps is providedwith an extension 66 having the other half of the mating connector, suchas a male connector. A connector 68 being the same type of connectorattached to the extension is also attached to a front portion of theplatform. Therefore, the straps can be attached to the connectors 68 toform shoulder straps to carry the platform. Once the platform isattached to the tree, the straps can be wrapped around the tree andsecured to the extension of the opposite strap to provide stability tothe platform. Alternatively, the left strap can be provided with onemating connector and the right strap can be provided with the other halfof the mating connector, allowing the straps to be connected to oneanother. For instance, the left strap can be provided with a maleconnector and the right strap can be provided with a female connector.In this case, the left connector 68 would be a female connector and theright connector 68 would be a male connector.

The invention has been describes with reference to preferredembodiments. Variations and modification would be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art, and the invention encompasses such variationsand modifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tree stand, comprising: a ladder having a firstend and a second end, the ladder comprising: a first side; a secondside; and a plurality of rungs extending between the first side and thesecond side; a platform extending outwardly from the first end of theladder a stabilizer arm connected to and extending from each side of theladder, each stabilizer arm having a first end attached to a pointbetween the top end and the bottom end of the ladder and a second end.2. The tree stand of claim 1, wherein the stabilizer arms are biasedtoward each other.
 3. The tree stand of claim 1, further comprising: acable extending between a first stabilizer arm and a second stabilizerarm, wherein tension applied to the cable causes the pair of stabilizerarms toward each other.
 4. The tree stand of claim 1, furthercomprising: an arcuate member connected to the second end of eachstabilizer arm.
 5. The tree stand of claim 4, wherein the arcuate memberis slidably connected to the stabilizer arm.
 6. The tree stand of claim1, further comprising: a pair of jaws attached to the platform, a cableextending from each jaw, each cables passing through a guide on one ofthe stabilizer arms and connected to a rung of the ladder.